Can't Stay Away
by cinnabonme
Summary: On the night of Zidane's 'Welcome Back' party, the lonely thief decides he can't take anymore of being neglected and leaves the ballroom. But at night in Her Highness's bedroom he gives her a visit and has a little 'chat'.ZidxDag


Can't Stay Away

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns it and I'll never get my hands on it. -.-

P.S This was actually a dream I dreamt recently and so I turned it into a dream. No much altering being done, only the settings and characters! Of course I didn't dream of Zidane! Wouldn't think about it…ahem...

* * *

"Has anyone seen Zidane? Vivi, have you seen him?" Sweet Garnet calls worriedly; her melodic voice rings endlessly in my ears. She doesn't know much I'm glad that she has left her flirty companion to look for me. 

I couldn't stand it; even though I'm supposed to be rejoicing at my 'Welcome Back' ball. I can't stand being here, leaning against one of the walls of the grand ballroom and being sulky in front of Dagger. Or, more politely, Queen Garnet.

I thought coming back to Alexandria and to Dagger wouldn't change anything. After all we've been through, I was positive she was still pushing me away. But now, I'm feeling torn; so torn I feel as if I can never mend it up again. It's a feeling I've felt before, but now put into full blast. Wild and uncontrollable jealousy.

I can't stop myself. It was too much. I feel terrible. I've wrecked up the party with my sulking and I've even made Dagger worry. I only make things worse. I'm such a bad friend. Or, am I even a friend still? Back when we were in Terra, we all promised ourselves that we were always going to be the best of friends through thick and thin. Dagger was the one who truly pulled me out of my deep depression at the time, and I feel indebted to her. Seriously. I don't know how many times she's helped me because without her, I'd be…..

Nothing.

Well, a genome at least. And I would want so much more of a life than that. A lifeless genome. To me, she's more than a friend; which I am scared of. Does she think the same way about me?

I'm scared, of the way I feel about her. At times when I think of her; her melodic voice, her beautiful angelic face, I feel like I'm flying through the clouds and somersaulting across the sky. But, sometimes when she's not here, I feel trapped and miserable, like I was when I was still trapped in the Iifa Tree.

Damn that flirty noble who decided to take his flirting a little bit too much on poor Dagger. I feel like crushing his skull which I know I could do easily but then I would be a murder and Dagger would be so surprised and shocked. I wouldn't be able to survive that. That look of sadness and quickly fear……fear of me.

I need to get away, I need to be alone. I need to sort things out and then I come back to Alexandria but for now I'll—

* * *

"Zidane! So this is where you've been! I've been wondering where you've gone." Dagger exclaimed suddenly, placing a hand on his shoulder softly. Zidane, surprised, looked up at Dagger's beautiful face in wonder but quickly looked down, hoping to hiding his crimson blush. But accidentally he made it look like he was pushing her away. Dagger frowned worriedly, putting her other hand on his other shoulder and made him face her but instead she felt him stiffen and heard a surprised gasp from his mouth. She couldn't understand why he was acting like this. 

"What's wrong Zidane? Are you okay?" She asked innocently, truly concerned over her dear friend. She softly stroked his shoulder in reassurance but only made him shiver. She let go, but immediately felt a feeling of wanting to feel his fair skin beneath her fingertips. She shook it away, appalled at herself for thinking that way at that moment and looked back at Zidane. She gasped, surprised and quickly confused. He wasn't there.

She quickly scanned the ballroom for Zidane but bitterly she found nothing and sadly sat herself down onto a dinner chair quietly at a white table of food. She couldn't understand why she felt hurt. Was Zidane trying to, avoid her? She felt weak and drained of all her happiness of the ball. She also didn't realize she wasn't hiding this sadness from anyone and that an old companion had come to sit in front of her by the table.

"Having problems, your Highness?" Dagger looked up surprised to be face to face with a certain rat dressed in an old red coat and hat. She smiled kindly and placed a gentle hand on top of Dagger's.

"No I'm fine Freya." The queen regained her regal posture and smiled pleasantly towards Freya as she answered. Her friend smiled back but this time ended with a short frown.

"No, you're not. I know how you feel Dagger, but the thing is, do you understand?" Dagger felt so unstable she agreed to answer though she didn't say.

"……I don't know what I feel now……were you watching us Freya?" She asked softly letting a sob escape her. Freya put a reassuring hand on her back but it didn't really make a difference.

"I watched you, and I can finally confirm what I've felt between you two. Dagger do you understand why he ran away? I know you don't so I'll tell you; he ran away because he feels he needs to be alone and he needs to think about things." Freya explained slightly impatiently. She smiled, knowing she still didn't understand.

"What things…is he thinking about?" Dagger asked slightly afraid. She felt very vulnerable. What if Freya said he was thinking about…a girl? Dagger shook the thought out of her head and tried to listen to Freya.

"Oh, things…you know, you usual. The future, the past and……well, you." Freya smiled softly, understanding the shock and remembering a bit of her own discovery about Sir Fratley. She kept it to herself. Dagger gasped surprised and quickly her brain was buzzing with questions.

Now she felt like she needed time alone. Through all her confusion, she wept bitterly, not understanding her feelings. Freya tried to guard her from any attention but some nobles and servants had already started noticing that the queen was crying.

"I'm sorry, F-Freya, but I need to be alone too." Dagger hugged Freya softly before picking up her skirts and half running to the grand marble stairway. Freya kindly blocked all the people who came running after her and closed the ballroom doors giving Dagger some peace.

She ran upstairs and into her quarters where she sat down on her large silk covered bed in darkness since the lights hadn't been turned on. There she wept. She partly didn't know why she wept but she just felt like everything was unravelling before her eyes and just couldn't take it. A soft glow of moonlight entered her room from the open window and gave her a soft breeze. After she cried everything out, she looked up at the softly glowing moon in the distance of the dark star-filled sky, loneliness overwhelming her. Slowly, she came to her senses and changed into a lighter sleeping gown and crept into her cold covers, closing her eyes. She took one last glance at the shining moon and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Rustle. Bump. Rustle. 

The queen was sharply awoken by the near sounds of movement in her quarters and was quickly frightened. She lowered herself into her warm bed covers, trying to reach the wooden staff at the end of her bed she always kept in case things like this would happen.

"Oh, crap!" the intruder suddenly swore, frustrated. He moved closer to the bed with silent steps. Dagger gasped shocked. It was Zidane's voice! She suddenly was afraid and dropped the staff where it was to hide her face deeper under the covers. She could hear and feel him softly sit down onto bed. She started to sweat as she tried to think of a way to escape it. Quickly, she closed her eyes and pretended she was sleeping. She wished it would work.

* * *

Zidane sighed softly. He felt extremely brave to be doing this, but still felt the fear of rejection climbing up in him, even though she would still be asleep. Looked at the sleeping figure before him and he was suddenly washed with a feeling of peace and calmness. He sat like that for a few moments, just admiring Dagger's beautiful body sleeping peacefully but soon shook himself out of his daze. He came here for a confession and that's what he would do. 

"Dagger, I know you're sleeping and you won't hear me, but I still want to tell you this to get it out of my skin." He started nervously, fiddling with his fingers. Dagger, who was listening nervously, fiddled with her fingers too under the blankets.

Then he paused, and it seemed as if he wouldn't continue. Dagger peeked open an eye to sneak a glance up at him but quickly shut it because he looked back at her face sadly. He continued.

"You're……my best friend. Well, apart from my bros and our other companions you're you kindest and nicest friend a genome could ever have. And not to mention strongest queen in Gaia that I'll ever meet. You're……extraordinary. There's no one else like you. You're unique." Dagger blushed embarrassed at his sudden openness and compliments but also felt upset. Upset that she was only a best friend him. She listened on, eager not to miss a word.

"To me…right now…you're more than a friend……and I really hope you feel the same……because you make me feel happy when…you're around and when your not and when your with someone else……I feel…depressed……and furious…" Dagger gasped shocked. Her stomach had butterflies in it and it was practically tickling her. She felt so much happier. Did he just say he loved her? But she was still afraid. Did he say he gets furious? Furious…at her? She shivered, afraid of what he meant.

"Wildly furious…wildly furiously jealous at the man you're with……because I'm scared……I'll lose you…to him……Stupid, right? But……right now……I can gladly say……that I love you, and I'm leaving to Lindbulm where I'll carry on with life and you keep ruling your kingdom with a noble you choose to marry instead of me. So…maybe we could visit each other time to time but for now…I'll let you go. So, goodbye Dagger……and…I love you." Zidane bent down towards Dagger and gave her a sweet soft kiss on her cheek. Dagger, frozen in shock and realization didn't move at all. Zidane sat there on her bed a few more moments, admiring everything about her for the last time and with that, he ran to the window he came through and jumped out into the night.

Right after he left, Dagger sharply sat up, breathing heavily at the shocking truth. He loved her! He had admitted it! Finally, everything made sense to her. That's was why she felt so hurt before and also the other times he had escaped from her and was flirting with other girls apart from her. That fury jealousy she felt burning inside of her when he mingled with the woman made her grumpy and often made her explode to slapping him on the cheek or kicking him in the leg which he sometimes couldn't escape. All those times he accepted it and comforted her, thinking it was about Alexandria and all the destruction caused there, but he never really knew why she blew up at him sometimes. But now it all made sense, and she wanted to admit it so clearly that everyone would know. Know that she loved Zidane Tribal like he loved her.

Dagger beamed happily, so glad she knew what she felt and that she truly loved him. But then suddenly, the cold truth hit her like a stone brick. Zidane said he was leaving to Lindbulm. She gasped quickly and jumped off the bed in a hurry before she realized she would have to wait until the next day to catch him. He could have gone anywhere. Sadly, she crept back into bed and tried to go to sleep again.

* * *

Dagger woke with a start. Her bedroom was filled with strong eerie golden sunlight that bathed the room and all the furniture. Dagger sat up quickly and stared at the clock. It was only 7:35 in the morning. Dagger smiled, remembering what happened last night and jumped out of bed again ecstatically. She flung open her wardrobe and dress in her orange overalls and white shirt along with a pair of fairly worn-out boots. With one quick wash of the face and tying her hair in a low ponytail, she rushed out of her room and out of the castle as fast as her legs could carry her. She knew where to go. She headed towards the Alexandria Airship Dock with speedy movements and arrived there quicker than any chocobo. And there as expected was Zidane, standing in a long row of people queuing up for the airship flight, the great Hilda Garde 4 looming nearly above them. The queen ran as fast as she could towards and leaped onto him cheerfully, showing no such relation to a queen. 

Zidane was greatly surprised at Dagger who was running directly towards him and also jumping onto him which made him fall down onto the pavement crying out,

"Dagger? Ahh!" Thump.

Dagger was laughing. Zidane slowly slipped out from underneath her and helped her up. Dagger pulled him, a little reluctantly out of the line to press her lips against his passionately. When she let go with a cheeky smile on her face, Zidane still had a shocked expression on his face.

"I heard you last night," Zidane's face went very red, "and I just want to say, that I love you too! And I don't want you to leave Alexandria because you think we can't be together! Because, I never want to lose you to anyone…" And with that, their lips met again in a romantic and passionate kiss which made both of them feel complete with each other. They broke off, and Zidane let out a chuckle.

"Okay, then Garnet Alexandros, will you marry me?" He asked meaningfully, not bothering to kneel to the beautiful girl before him. Dagger gasped surprised and quickly jumped up onto him unexpectedly like she did when he came back from the Iifa Tree.

"Of course I will Zidane! And we'll make this work!" She cried happily before taking his hand in hers and caressing them lovingly as they stared at each other happily. Zidane put his arms around his new fiancé and embraced her warmly, feeling wonderful new sensations travelling everywhere through his body.

* * *

"Wow! You were right!" Vivi exclaimed truly amazed. He smiled at Freya as they looked on at the very obvious couple in the distance of the Alexandria Airship Dock. The six companions where standing behind a flower selling stand in front of the airship dock peeking out at their two friends who had finally decided to get together. 

"I can't believe Her Highness chose that rascal! It's absolutely appalling! The Princess deserves a much better noble that that monkey!" Steiner angrily retorted, shaking his fist at the scene before them. Freya chuckled softly and Vivi stared at Steiner confused. Eiko crossed her arms frustrated.

"I gotta admit, they're a perfect couple. But at first they were so slow! I had such a chance!" Eiko stated half-heartedly, putting her hands on his hips and leaning slightly towards the left with attitude. Amarant rolled his eyes at that act.

"They so lovely couple! Just like frog sauce and frog!" Quina complimented happily, clapping her/his hands together. Vivi just gave Quina a slightly afraid look before turning away.

"The bet wasn't fair rat. You helped them." Amarant objected, frustrated. Freya turned to face him with a kind smile.

"I won fair and square. Did you really think they wouldn't stay away from each other for one day of being in the same room as each other?" Freya stated obviously, leaning on her lance lazily.

"Hey Freya, are you doing this for the money or for them?" Vivi asked innocently. Everyone stared at Freya suspiciously. She waved it away lightly.

"Of course I did it for them! Who else is going to push them together? But, you were the ones who started the betting." Freya replied smiling cheekily, and held out her free hand.

"So everyone, pay time!"

* * *


End file.
